Pop Bop Rock Honoree: John Sunderland

John Sunderland – A COLORADO MUSICAL JOURNEY

DENVER PIONEER ROCKER (Emeralds/Sonics/Fabulous Roadrunners)

We are proud to induct John Sunderland into to the Bop Rock Pop Honor Roll. 

John Sunderland was born in the northwest United States and moved with his family at an early age to Denver, first residing in Denver’s furthest western boundary, adjacent to Sloan’s lake and just a couple of blocks from the “Denver Tiger” boss radio KIMN.  John told us that he used to drop in the KIMN studio late at night as a teen and chat with the on-air DJ.

John gained his first exposure to music during his 5th grade year when he took piano lessons from Sister Noreen who sparked his interest and send him onto his musical journey.

The Emeralds

Later John’s family would make the move across town to east Denver and where John would enroll at Denver’s Cathedral High School located in the Capitol Hill area of Denver just off Colfax Blvd.  It was while attending Cathedral High School that John would join up with some fellow classmates and others to form “The Emeralds” in 1960.

The Emeralds included John Sunderland, Jack Chiodiny and Dave Morris on guitars and Larry Showalter from East High School on drums.

Denver’s Emerald’s at Mammoth Gardens – L-to-R: John Sunderland – Jack Chiddini – Dave Morris and Larry Showalter in Back

John related this tale: The Emeralds, were playing at Aurora’s “Fireman’s Hall” a small venue in the east Denver suburb – When they entered the hall and were about to set up they were approached by the manager who casually informed them they would be performing on the same bill as Jan and Dean!  Sunderland remembers, “We just looked at him thinking – Jan and Dean?  We don’t play surf music!”  Before the Emeralds could react – out walked two blond haired, young surfin’ types.  They were introduced – stepped up to club microphone – and then commenced to lip sync one of Jan and Dean’s songs.

“It was horrible”, recalls John.  “The speaker broadcasting from the microphone was inferior, crackling and difficult to hear.  Kids in the hall just sort of sat on their hands, looking rather embarrassed.”  The only ones who should have been embarrassed were Jan and Dean and the Fireman’s Hall manager – The two certainly were not southern California’s famed duo – just two blond haired locals – impostors!

The Emeralds would continue for a short time before going their separate ways.

The Sonics

John would then next join Lonny Nantz – a drummer, Thom Sorenson – electric stand-up bass, and lead group leader/vocalist/lead guitar player Bobby Swanson who was a South High School student in his group the Sonics who would soon perform as “Bobby Swanson and the Sonics” showcasing their talented lead vocalist.

Bobby Swanson

Swanson would record for the Igloo record label and would have an initial release in 1959 backed by the “Sonics” but the backing group would not include the Denver musicians.

According to John: “Regarding the original recordings of Bobby and the Sonics….. we recorded “Tom and Susi” in Bobby’s basement recording studio in late 1959 (in east Denver).  We also recorded a second side but the title escapes me.  The demos were sent to Donna Records and Bobby was invited to California.

“The Sonics (myself, Lonnie Nantz and Thom Sorenson) were not invited.  However, when Bobby returned to Denver, the Sonics joined him for all club dates.

“At some point, Bobby released “Rockin’ Little Eskimo” on the Igloo label and it became quite popular in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.  The Sonics were listed on that record but not on any of the earlier Donna label records.”

Sonics at Mammoth Garden

Another local venue which had served Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood located just off East Colfax as a roller skating rink, was Mammoth Garden.  In early 1960, KIMN’s very popular Pogo Poge began presenting a weekly teen dance at the venue – probably in April of 1960 which was billed as the “Pogo Poge Teen Dance”.

John remembered that Mammoth was still functioning as a roller rink during the week and then would be set up on Saturdays for the Teen Dance.  “The kids all had to take off their shoes to protect the skating rink surface”, he remembers.  John said that typically a couple of local acts would play each Saturday and that Swanson’s Sonics were more or less regulars.  John said there was another four-piece local garage group which played several times on the same dates as the Sonics.  “They were really good.  They had a great tight rock and roll sound” he remembers.  “They all wore slick blue jackets.  After the Mammoth, I never ran into them again.

Gene Vincent – Johnny & The Hurricanes at the Mammoth

On occasion the Sonics would be on the same bill with a national act – John recalls playing on the same date as Johnny and the Hurricanes one time and another time with Gene Vincent.  The troubled rocker had very recently just made his comeback after being involved in a horrific automobile accident which damaged his ribs, collarbone and further damaged a bad leg which plagued him throughout his brief career.  The accident also claimed the life of rocker Eddie Cochran and severely injured Cochran’s song-writing girl friend Sharon Sheeley.

Sunderland reminisces, “I remember going down into the basement of the Mammoth – a rather bleak depressing catacomb-like area where acts changed – and there was Vincent.  He wasn’t accompanied by the Blue Caps at this point.  He just sat there all alone on a little wooden bench with holding his head in his hand, lost in thought.  It was sad.”

The (Fabulous) Roadrunners

In 1964 John and Bobby would join a new group, “The Roadrunners” first appearing with them at “The La Bistro A Go-Go” located on east Colfax.

The roots of the original ‘garage group’, the Roadrunners began in Brush, Colorado.  The five-man group made their way to Denver and learned that there was already a group called the “Road Runners” so they tacked on “Fabulous” to their name.

Two original Brush members – Bob Britton (rhythm guitar)  and Tony Hernandez (bass) would add Bobby Swanson (lead guitar), Mike Corrigan (drums) and guitarist John Sunderland to replace departing original members. Britton would next depart and the remaining foursome would continue on with this line-up until 1968.

The Roadrunners” appeared often – Le Bistro A-Go-Go located at 3100 East Colfax. That venue went through several name changes including “The Bandbox”, “The Mad Russian” and “Annies” and has changed yet again in 2022.

John told me the white Corvette below belonged to the photographer who took the picture.

L-R: Hernandez – Corrigan – Sunderland – Swanson

L-R: Sunderland – Corrigan – Hernandez – Swanson

While playing the Le Bistro, the Fabulous Roadrunners were backing a local soul singer – Kenny Jay.  Le Bistro featured a large glass window facing Colfax where the owner would place a live Go-Go Dancer to attract the attention of passing motorists (notice “In the Window”) listed in the ad.  John told me that he still knows the dancer’s name – She is now in her mid 70’s and we both agreed it would be fun to locate her and revisit Denver’s 1960’s Go-Go Scene!

L-R: Hernandez – Swanson – Sunderland – Corrigan

The Denver night club scene was very competitive and a rivalry among bar owners was not always that friendly according to Sunderland.  “We must have been evacuated 10 or more times in the midst of a nightclub appearance due to a phone in bomb scare” Sunderland recalled.  Though nobody was ever identified – John knew the scare call had to come from a competitor.  John recalled another time when two very large tough looking guys entered the nightclub where the Roadrunners were playing – both taking a seat near the stage – then glaring up at the band or rather threateningly scanning the club.

“Then just like that, one of them stood, grabbed a chair and flung it through the bar”, John exclaimed.  A knockdown drag out fist fight instantly broke out between the ‘messengers’ and the night club’s bouncers – clearing the club – a little more proactive than a bomb scare – but effective all the same.

By 1968 the original lineup of Roadrunners had dispersed with Bobby Swanson carrying on.

Sunderland Meets Bob Lind

John Sunderland related an experience the band had while playing at The Last Chance Saloon in Gunnison, Colorado on Colorado’s western slope.  Sunderland recalls a young Western State College student approaching the band between sets.  He asked if he could sing a few songs.  Sunderland recalls “We all sort of rolled our eyes but then after he assured us he really could sing.  We let him join in for a few numbers.” 

He was talented and the band would learn his name – Bob Lind – who would return to his home in Denver where he would record at the Band Box record studio – with no tracks released and then go on to national fame with “The Elusive Butterfly”.  Bobby Swanson knew Bob Lind fairly well but couldn’t remember him singing with them at the Last Chance – but he did remember playing at that venue.

It turns out that later, after his Western State years, Bob Lind would actually record several tracks at Band Box.  None of these were released although a long play acetate is today on display at the Colorado Music Hall of Fame at the Red Rocks museum.  Band Box sold several Lind tracks to Verve Records after “Butterfly” hit – a move that Lind did not approve of.    His agent told me via an email a few years ago that Bob (Lind) would not talk about the tracks and what happened to them but said if I searched the web I would find out.  Those tracks would surface on the Bob Lind LP titled “The Elusive Bob Lind” in May of 1966 all bearing the “Band Box Publishing” credits on the label.

Beyond the Bands

Sunderland’s destiny would be to enlist before he could be drafted, and then accepting a top secret communication position in the U.S. Army stationed in Hawaii.  After completing his time in the service John would obtain employment with The Denver Post, serving in their photography department rising to the position of Director of Photography.

Sunderland continued to play in various groups backing other artists including doing a couple of spots with Denver’s Frankie Rino, another Inductee in the Pop Bop Rock Honor Roll.  John recalls how his music really helped to pay the bills, actually earning him more initially than his Denver Post job.

Denver Police Officer Frankie Rino

Sunderland accepted a night beat spot with the Post since other photographers preferred not to and this brought into many exciting photo sessions around town with top names such as Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and many, many more.

John is now retired from the Post but keeps busy, having authored pictorial documentary books, one of which earned him a Pulitzer Prize nomination due to his photo reporting on the lack of hospice care facilities in the city of Denver – something that was lacking throughout the nation back in the day.  And, John has plans for additional photo-journalism works.  For a few years John would teach photography at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Accolades: Denver Press Club Hall of Fame

John Sunderland enjoyed a long career with the Denver Post serving as a staff photographer and because area musical events generally took place on weekends and nights he was tapped as the music photographer.  This provided John with many opportunities to see some great talent and to meet many of the stars.  Bob Dylan, Elton John, Fats Domino were among the many he met up with.

The Denver Press Club is located at 1330 Glenarm Place in downtown Denver.  John was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame with the inductee class of 2019.  The Press Club opened in the 1860’s and today is protected by the National Historic Register.

“I have been so fortunate”, John exclaims.  “I got to play rock and roll in Denver during a great time in this city, and then I landed my dream job as a photographer.”  Truly a wonderful life.